Creating Extraordinary Virtual Teams: Best Practices for Working From Home [PART 2 / 4]

We can’t say enough about the importance of communication among remote teams -- or all teams, for that matter. Communication is our number one core value at The Winders Group. In the second installment of this four part series, here are a few communication best practices we’ve learned to employ in the two years since starting our virtual marketing agency and collectively have helped us create a company culture that keeps us motivated, working hard and having fun together.

• Accountability - Virtual teams rely on everyone pulling their weight -- we are only as strong as the weakest member of our team.
• Visibility - Quite literally, be visible. Having your camera on whenever possible not only sends a message of personal accountability, it reminds your colleagues you’re right there, a virtual arm's length away.
• Disambiguation - Say what you mean, do what you say and leave nothing to question. If something’s unclear, say something. There should never be any question about who’s doing what, and by when, if everyone communicates clearly.
• Culture - Culture is organic, not programmed. Those who worked together in real life will bring elements of their existing culture to the remote environment, while every virtual team has the opportunity to create their own unique culture as they grow together online.
• Always On Communication - In addition to Slack channels and email threads, we keep a Zoom conference room open throughout the day for the team to work collaboratively all day long or as needed, just as we would do in an open office environment. 
• Trust - Successful virtual teams are built on trust and reliability. Instilling those values also builds camaraderie when colleagues know we’re all working just as hard as each other to reach our mission.

Even when speaking face-to-face things get lost in translation -- virtual collaboration only makes it harder and more important to communicate clearly with your team. Organizations that make a conscious effort to employ good communication tools and skills create teams that enjoy working together and are generally more productive. And from productive teams who communicate with each other comes a strong foundation for a positive culture to unfold. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Click here for the next installment of this four-part series.